GROWING OLD WITH DOGS

When I am old
I will wear soft gray sweatshirts...
and a bandana over my silver hair...
and I will spend my social security checks on wine and my dogs.
I will sit in my house on my well-worn chair and listen to my dogs' breathing.
I will sneak out in the middle of a warm summer night
and take my dog for an ice cream , if my old car will allow...
When people come to call,
I will smile and nod as I show them my dogs...
and talk of them and about them...
...The ones so beloved of the past
and the ones so loved today...
I will still work hard cleaning after them
and feeding them and whispering their names in a soft loving way.
I will wear the gleaming sweat on my brow, like a
jewel and I will be an embarrassment to all...
especially my family... who have not yet found the peace
in being free to have dogs as your best friends...
These friends who always wait, at any hour, for your footfall...
and eagerly jump to their feet out of a sound sleep,
to greet you as if you're a God,
With warm eyes full of adoring love and hope that you will always stay,
I'll hug their big strong necks...
I'll kiss their dear sweet heads...
I look in the mirror...
and see I am getting old...
this is the kind of person I am...
and always has been.
Loving dogs is easy, they are a part of me.
Please accept me for who I am.
My dogs appreciate and love my presence in their lives...
you will understand when you are old....
If you have dogs you love, too.